Dissed for playing country?

Mark Fasbender · Posted 11 Feb 2006 2:23 am

Do you ever get tired of people looking down on you for playing country? Have you ever noticed that most of them are simply not competent enough to hang with the musical demands of the genre?
As a general rule it seems their experience in other styles does a poor job of preparing them for the broad range of skills required to be a lowly country picker. Get one on the bandstand today and find out.

b0b...... If this seems too divisive, feel free to close it

Sidney Ralph Penton · From: Moberly, Missouri, USA

its like this everyone has different likes and dislikes. i like country however i don't wish to play country i prefer gospel. if they want to look down on you thats ok its their loss. at least you had the gumpsion to learn how to play psg. its not a easy insturment to learn and requires a lot of time and patients. i would play what i like and if someone wants to look down their nose at ya well let me just smile at them that will get em every time. doc

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Jack Stoner · From: Kansas City, MO

Having played in bands since 1959 I find that a "country" band is expected to play anything, from country to rock to dixieland to pop, to show tunes.

I played bass in a New Orleans style dixieland band for a year - no one asked us to play "country" or rock, etc. I filled in for a couple weekends on 6 string guitar in a trio that was playing at a club and playing songs such as "Moonlight in Vermont", "Autum Leaves", etc and no one asked us to play "country" or any other genre of music.

[This message was edited by Jack Stoner on 11 February 2006 at 03:59 AM.]

Chuck Hall · From: Warner Robins, Ga, USA

Amen Jack

Marlin Smoot · From: Kansas

I've had some Bass players say thay won't play in a country band because the Bass is too easy or boring. I guess they like to play "lead Bass"? I'm not a Bass player but as a Pedal Steeler, I love having a good Bass player in the band.

I can tell the difference and appreciate the way the Drummer and Bass player work together.

When it's really good, at times you don't even know there on stage with you, and you really get to focus in on what you're playing. Otherwise, you can end up fighting the section all night musically.

Donny Hinson · From: Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.

It happens all the time. But then again, if I worried about what other people thought, I wouldn't play steel in the first place.

Steinar Gregertsen · From: Arendal, Norway, R.I.P.

Luke Morell · From: Ramsey Illinois, USA Hometown of Tex Williams

The song leader at our church is a city feller, likes contemporary not much on the country gospel,which he calls southern gospel because he can't bring himself to say country.I play lead and rhythem in a praise band at church,and if I get sounding to country I hear about it. Wonder what he'd do if I showed up with my steel?

[This message was edited by Luke Morell on 11 February 2006 at 07:18 AM.]

Tony Prior · From: Charlotte NC

only for 35 years now !

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TPrior
TPrior Steel Guitar Homesite

John Macy · From: Rockport TX/Denver CO

I use a bass player in Nashville names Michael Rhodes a lot (one of The Players). Amazing player, one of the best in the world and can do anything. He has told me many times that the hardest thing to play is a country ballad. Big long whole notes, landing together with the kick and feeling great is a true art form--a true test of a bassist in my book.

There is another amazing player currently in Phoenix named Mel Brown--killer jazz and pop player. He never lloked down on country and was always fascinated with the steel. He did a few sessions in Nashville once and when I next saw him he was absolutey raving about the players he worked with there, especially Brent Mason, and found a whole new respect for it.

None of the good players I know look down on anything (ok, maybe rap

)...

Bill McCloskey · Posted 11 Feb 2006 7:39 am

"requires a lot of time and patients"

I know it created a lot of patients in my household. They'd go running out of the house screaming when I played and I couldn't afford the doctors' bills anymore.

Dave Mudgett · From: Central Pennsylvania and Gallatin, Tennessee

Sure. There are people who don't like country music, for whatever reason. Like some country players diss other styles, some players of other styles diss country. What goes around comes around. IMO, it's an entire mentality, driven by insecurity, competitive attitude, and cultural division.

Still, most good musicians I have known, who are secure with themselves, agree that it takes talent to play any style well, and acknowledge good playing even if they don't care for that style, per se.

I don't agree with the idea that good players in other styles can't hang with a country band. In my experience, the battleground is over non-syncopated vs. heavily syncopated styles. I've worked with technically excellent drummers who feel that playing "straight eights" is boring, and insist on adding syncopated beats and fills that don't fit with the music. Similarly with bass players. If they can't bring themselves to play the style, they shouldn't take the gig. Now, a poor player in any style isn't likely to handle country well, either. But a well-trained jazz drummer, for example, should be able to play the straight beats most country music requires - I've played with several who do that just fine.

Conversely, I've seen competent country drummers and bass players, who didn't learn to play syncopated styles like funk, try - with bad results. To people who don't like simple rhythmic styles, this adds fuel to their fire.

Jon Light · From: Saugerties, NY

Musicianship is musicianship. Any musician I've ever respected had an open mind and an appreciation of good art and good craft in music. A true brotherhood. Conversely, those who put down other players, other styles, other music, rarely have opinions or music I'm interested in hearing.

Ben Jones · From: Seattle, Washington, USA

having played punk metal and rock for twenty years I admit I had no idea of the skill level required for country music, nor of any of the great great players in that genre. Tho I dont recal ever "dissing" country music or musicians as I always loved the sound, it was not until I actually began trying to learn to play this stuff and listening closely to the music that I realized country boys are some HOT players. Give me a dimed Marshall stack and a strat and I can shred, but put a Tele thru a clean twin in my hands and some fingerpicks and I am completely lost. i hope to learn some day. Much respect.

John Macy · From: Rockport TX/Denver CO

In reality, I think country players dis other forms of music more often that other players dis country.

Stephen Gambrell · From: Over there

And you know what REALLY gets my dander up? COUNTRY PLAYERS WHO LOOK DOWN ON ME FOR PLAYING BLUEGRASS MUSIC!!! Admit it, guys---I've heard a LOT of people laugh at the timing, simple chord structure, monotonous tempos; of bluegrass music---Till they tried to PLAY it.Good music can stand on its own, regardless of the genre--as long as it's well played. And a hacked-up mess is ALWAYS gonna be a hacked-up mess.

[This message was edited by Stephen Gambrell on 11 February 2006 at 08:33 AM.]

Jim Sliff · From: Lawndale California, USA

I agree with John - every rock and blues player I know has great respect for country players - especially chicken pickers or string bending guitarists. Also bass players, where country timing and "locking" with the drummer can make or break a band's sound.

I've mentioned before that I don't play country steel, but I spent decades in country-rock playing stringbender Tele and upright/electric bass. Solid country bass players are REALLY rare - most want to play far too many notes and flat do not get the timing.

And as Steve said, bluegrass gets dissed a lot until someone tries to play it. While some of it is deceptively simple in structure, the timing and dynamics are beyond most players of any instrument. Go to a bluegrass festival sometime and hang around the parking lot pickers - you'll hear a lot of "hanger-on" hacks, but some players of stuff that's beyond possiible.

Mike Perlowin · From: Los Angeles CA

I think you can find musical snobery by people in (and from) every genre. I remember a music teacher in college saying that the Beatles didn't have any talent. According to her, real musicians play classical music. People who play anything else are all a bunch of untalented hacks.

I also remember trying to work with a jazz guitarist who insisted that triadic harmony was boring and wanted to "improve' country and rock music but using jazz chords all the time. (You havn't experienced true musical nausea to you've heard "Honkey Tonk Woman played cocktail jazz style.)

I've also met people who live their lives accord to the Gospel of Chuck Berry: "It's gotta be rock roll music if you wanna dance with me."

And if memory serves correct, I also seem to recall that some steel guitarisats are not overly thrilled about the music of Robert Randolph.

Mat Rhodes · From: Lexington, KY, USA

I think country musicians' talents are WAY underutilized with most of the "pop/country" acts they have to play with these days. What a letdown it must be to spend your formative years "doing the grind" to learn your instrument only to have to subdue yourself 98% of the time professionally.

Matt

John Cox · From: Texas, USA

Mark, let me say this. First and foremost I'm a steel-player, no matter what the music may be. durring my practice time I play any thing from AJ to Bach. My advise, don't worry about them. Let them worry about you! In fact, I'm seriouly thinking of posting and tabing some of the rock stuff I found this past week. Point being that this instrument is so much more flexible than most put into it. J.C.

Dave Mudgett · From: Central Pennsylvania and Gallatin, Tennessee

Charles Davidson · From: Phenix City Alabama, USA

Marlin,I agree the two most importent members of ANY band playing country,jazz,rock,etc,etc,is a drummer and bass player that can lock in with each other.No matter how many HOT pickers are in the band without a good bass and drums,you are not making music,just noise.In my opinion sometimes these two guys are not appreciated as much as they should be.The general public will only notice the vocalist or hot steel or guitar player without realizing who is makeing them sound so good.

Herb Steiner · From: Spicewood TX 78669

I learned my musical chops playing traditional bluegrass. IMHO bluegrass is far more difficult to play technically and convincingly than is electrified country music.

Of course, to play ANY music well takes years of dedication, but the bar for adequacy is lower in country than it is for 'grass.

That's my opinion. So sue me.

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Gene Jones · From: Oklahoma City, OK USA, (deceased)

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[This message was edited by Gene Jones on 11 February 2006 at 12:30 PM.]

Terry Edwards · From: Florida... livin' on spongecake...

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